


Samahla gets her magic

by ohnocantthink



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games)
Genre: Childhood, Gen, Magic Revealed, Rivalry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-11
Updated: 2017-12-11
Packaged: 2019-02-13 07:56:40
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,918
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12979575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ohnocantthink/pseuds/ohnocantthink
Summary: Danevhen Lavellan helps his niece Samahla realize her magic through his preternatural annoyingness.





	Samahla gets her magic

“Samahla, wait a moment,” said Mamae. Samahla turned from where she was gathering a clean set of clothing, her two year-old cousin Nehn’malana sulking on her hip. In just a few minutes she was due to meet the other children at the stream for their weekly bath. Usually one or two of the Clan’s adults supervised bath day, but today it was decided that the water was so slow and shallow that the older children could keep an eye on the younger ones. She didn’t want to be late; even though at the age of twelve she wasn’t the oldest child who would be present, she considered herself to be the most mature by far and felt it her responsibility to make sure that everyone behaved.

Mamae crossed the aravel to where Samahla was digging in her small trunk, taking her by the chin and tilting her face up gently. “You’re growing up, da’len.”

“Yes, Mamae.”

“You’re not a child any longer.”

Samahla wrinkled her brow, trying to discern her mother’s meaning. “I’m not old enough for my apprenticeship yet, although I’ve been working on my writing with Hahren Sarena.”

“You’re not old enough for your apprenticeship, no,” Mamae agreed with a gentle smile, “But you’re too old to be bathing with the other children. The boys will be looking soon, if they’re not already. From now on, why don’t you find a time to slip away on your own to cleanse yourself like the other adults?”

“Why would they—oh.” Samahla flushed deeply. Mamae had obviously noticed the changes that were happening to her. Had anyone else? Just thinking about it made her skin crawl with embarrassment. “What about Nehn’malana?” she asked, trying to hide her discomfiture.

“Someone else can take her,” said Mamae, swinging open the door of the aravel. “Danevhen!” she called, spotting Samahla’s young uncle passing by. 

Danevhen, small but gangly at the age of ten, darted up to the door. “Yes, Adahla?” he said. Calling his adult siblings by their given names was his most recent form of rebellion. Mamae didn’t seem to mind, though, ruffling his hair indulgently. No one ever seemed to mind where Danevhen was concerned.

“Take your niece with you for your bath, won’t you?”

Danevhen peaked around Mamae, meeting Samahla’s gaze with a wicked gleam in his eye. “Surely Samahla is old enough to take herself?” Samahla glared but Mamae just laughed, handing Nehn’malana to him. The child wrapped a chubby hand around Danevhen’s auburn hair, laughing gleefully as she tugged on it. Apparently even small children were deceived by his charm.

Later that afternoon, Danevhen fell into step beside Samahla as she was walking toward the stream to fetch water.

“Why aren’t you bathing with us anymore?” he asked.

She sighed deeply, rolling her eyes. “I’m an adult woman now. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to bathe with you children,” she answered patronizingly.

“Some adult,” he chortled. “Do most grown women still sleep with a doll?”

“You’re too young to understand, da’len,” she sneered, emphasizing the last word spitefully.

“Fenedhis,” he spat back.

She laughed at him condescendingly. “You don’t even know what that word means.”

“Do too.”

“It’s not very nice.”

“Suits you just fine.”

“I’m telling your father.”

“Go ahead,” he taunted, capering around her. “Fenedhis, fenedhis, fenedhis.”

The two of them had stopped walking now and stood face to face. Unintimidated despite the fact that Samahla was several inches taller than him owing to her recent growth spurt, he glared up at her, his jaw set stubbornly and his hands clenching into fists in preparation. Samahla was the first to move this time, lunging towards the boy and smirking when he jumped back without her even touching him. With a shout he retaliated, tackling her into the dirt and planting himself on her chest. She yelped and craned her neck to examine her arm, which had been scratched on a rock sticking out of the ground and was now beginning to bleed. Looking contrite, Danevhen climbed off of her, muttering, “Sorry.”

“You will be,” she growled, wiping the blood off with the other sleeve and marching away to tell his father.

That evening, it was with a flush of satisfaction that she noticed Danevhen sitting with his back towards the fire, excluded from the circle of hungry elves passing around plates of food. This was the second time this week that he’d been deprived of dinner due to his misbehavior, and it served him right. It was the only way he’d ever learn, after all. As she was eyeing him triumphantly, he turned around, and, seeing her looking, pointedly brandished a roll he’d managed to steal. Before she could open her mouth to report him to the nearest adult, he stuck the whole thing in his mouth, destroying the evidence.

Samahla decided to bathe the next day, and, now that she was an adult in this respect, chose to do so in the deeper pond where she could fully submerge herself instead of the shallow stream that the children had to use. The water felt luxurious against her skin, and she floated and paddled in the small swimming hole, enjoying her freedom until the skin on the tips of her fingers and toes started to shrivel. She made her way over to the rock where she’d left her clean clothes, but when she reached for them, they were gone. Samahla used the rock to hoist herself a few inches out of the water, looking around wildly. There, not fifty feet away, sat Danevhen, propped up against a large stone with her clothes serving as a backrest. He was laughing.

“Problem, niece?” he called out, a smug grin on his face.

“Give. Them. Back.”

“Oh, gladly,” he said, swinging to his feet and snatching up her clothes. He walked a few steps towards her and then halted, cocking his head at her in the manner that adults seemed to find so irresistible. “Except, what are you going to give me if I do?

“I’m not giving you anything!” she retorted, her temper rising.

“Maybe part of your noon meal?” he suggested. “I’m still hungry from going without last night.”

“Ar tu na’din!” she shouted.  _ I’m going to kill you.  _ Anger like she’d never felt raced through her, making her whole body hum and pulse and catching her off-guard with its intensity.

“Have to catch me first!” he taunted. “Hard to do without—”

Samahla’s rage exploded through her fingertips, a white crack of lightning arcing through the air towards Danevhen. 

Gasping, Samahla stared at her own fingers. The anger which threatened to overwhelm her seconds before had left her body now as suddenly as if it had never been there, leaving her shaking and gasping. Was that magic? It had been so fast, so wholly unexpected, that she wasn’t sure what she’d just witnessed. Before she could figure it out, however, she felt herself slipping beneath the water, her muscles giving out as if after a hard run, and with a shudder of panic she kicked herself to the edge of the pond. Only once she'd pulled herself out of the water did she remember Danevhen. Had her magic struck him? She looked around frantically, finally spotting the boy huddled several yards away, clasping his head and whimpering.

“Danevhen!” she cried, rushing towards him.

He jerked away, his eyes as wide and frightened as those of a rabbit, and sprinted away from her into the safety of the woods. “Danevhen!” Samahla called again, grabbing her tunic and pulling it over her head as she ran after him. He was fast, but her longer legs gave her the advantage, and she caught him before they were even halfway back to camp. “Let me see,” she demanded, fear making her snappish, jerking him back when he tried to pull away from her.

“Danevhen, let me see.” She dropped to a crouch before him, and after a long moment the boy pulled his hands away from his face. There was a deep, ugly wound stretching from below his left ear to just under the point of his chin, and the entire side of his face was an angry red. The gash was barely bleeding, but the flesh was blistered and blackened, and Danevhen was trembling with shock and pain.

“We need the Keeper,” she announced, taking him by the hand and setting off for the camp at a dead run.

When they arrived, the Keeper took one look at Danevhen and brought him into her aravel, leaving Samahla outside under the watchful eyes of Mamae, Papa and Hahren Sarena. “You’ll be First now when you come of age,” Hahren Sarena was saying proudly, “And then Keeper someday.  I know you’ll remember your histories and put their lessons to good use. You always were the very best of students.” But Samahla, who normally craved her teacher's approbation, wasn’t listening, thinking about the awful wound on Danevhen’s jaw and the fear in his eyes. He'd been terrified of her, and she couldn't blame him; she was terrified of herself. What horrible beast lurked inside her that she’d tried to kill her own uncle? What would happen to her if the rest of the clan found out how monstrous she really was? Mamae seemed to sense the emotions roiling inside of her, because she gathered Samahla up in her arms just as she had when she was a child.

“It’s alright, da’len,” Mamae soothed, working her fingers through Samahla’s hair, which was still wet and knotted from her swim. When the Keeper opened the door of her aravel and gestured, Mamae gently helped Samahla to her feet and nudged her forward.

“You’re not coming with me?” she asked, her voice trembling.

“No, Samahla,” said Mamae. “You must do this on your own.”

The Keeper nodded for her to close the door as Samahla stepped into the aravel. Immediately, her eyes flew to Danevhen, who was perched on the edge of the Keeper’s bed. His wound was covered in a thick salve, but underneath she could tell it was still red and inflamed, although the rest of his face was back to a normal color. He didn’t appear to be in any pain now, however, his habitual mischievous grin dancing on his lips as he clutched a large mug. Judging from the smell, it was the hot cocoa they’d traded for last month and been sharing weekly amongst themselves. It was probably the last of their stores, but just now she didn’t mind if he finished it.

“Here, da’len,” the Keeper said, pressing a second steaming mug into her hands. “We need to have a long talk, but first, have something to drink and gather yourself.”

“Now,” the Keeper continued once Samahla’s heart had begun to return to its normal speed. “Young Danevhen was telling me that you two were down at the pond when your magic revealed itself.

“By accident,” Danevhen added. “I told her how we were just playing and you didn’t magic me on purpose.” He gave her a meaningful look, and his intent was clear— _ I won’t tell what really happened if you don’t.  _

She caught his eye, then nodded emphatically at the Keeper. “Yes, that's what happened.” If it meant no one but Danevhen would ever truly know how the rage had overtaken her, Samahla could accept his truce. Tomorrow they would no doubt be back to their usual antagonism, but for today they had an accord.


End file.
